AP National News

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The detention of a mayoral candidate belonging to the Greek minority in Albania has raised tensions between the two neighboring countries. Greece’s Foreign Ministry released a statement Saturday demanding the release of Dionysis-Fredi Beleri, a candidate for mayor of the Albanian city of Himare, which has a strong Greek minority presence.

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A gunfight between police and a man inside a home in east Tennessee left him dead and wounded a K-9 police dog named Hank, who is recovering from surgery, authorities said Saturday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation did not say if police gunfire killed the man, 63-year-old David Wright, who was

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kelly Clarkson has responded to a Rolling Stone report accusing her daytime talk show of being a toxic workplace. Clarkson issued a statement on her Instagram page Saturday. She addressed the allegations after 11 current and former employees complained about being overworked and underpaid on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and also

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The death toll linked to a doomsday cult in Kenya hit 201 Saturday after police exhumed 22 more bodies, most of them bearing signs of starvation, according to the coast regional commissioner. The bodies are believed to be those of followers of a pastor based in

By FARES AKRAM and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and Palestinian militants were unleashing salvos of fire for a fifth straight day, with the Islamic Jihad militant group launching rockets and the Israeli military pounding targets inside the Gaza Strip and threatening to step up its campaign. But late

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Warning of a Republican “culture of losing,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sought on Saturday to weaken former President Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP as the party’s leading presidential prospects collided in battleground Iowa. DeSantis, expected to announce his 2024 presidential

MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — For weeks, Solangel Contreras raced. The Venezuelan migrant and her family of 22 trudged through the dense jungles of the Darien Gap and hopped borders across Central America. They joined thousands of other migrants from across the Hemisphere in a scramble to reach the United States-Mexico border

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Syrian government has agreed to extend by another three months the use of two border crossings with Turkey into the rebel-held northwest that were opened for aid delivery after a deadly earthquake in February.  Syrian and U.N. officials said Saturday that President Bashar Assad had agreed to open the border

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had private talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, later saying he sought support for his peace plan from the pontiff , who in the past has offered to try to help end the war launched by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, saying it was a great honor to meet with the pontiff, who has previously offered to do what he can to try to end the war launched by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a

By HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press For four hours, Raymond V. Buelna, a cultural leader for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, sat on a metal bench in a concrete holding space at the U.S.-Mexico border, separated from the two people he was taking to an Easter ceremony on tribal land in Arizona and wondering when they might

HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A 44-year-old woman charged in one of four killings in a small Nebraska town has pleaded not guilty. Court documents show that Carrie Jones entered written not guilty pleas this week to first-degree murder, being an accessory to a felony and tampering with evidence. She is accused in the August 2022

ZEYNEP BILGINSOY Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish politicians have held their final rallies in the last hours of campaigning before Sunday’s pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections that will significantly shape the NATO member’s future, before a so-called propaganda ban went into effect. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing the toughest challenge ever in his

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister says authorities will go after those involved in violent protests following the detention of his predecessor, Imran Khan, including prosecution in anti-terrorism courts. The prime minister’s warnings were a sign of further escalation in the long-running showdown between the government and Khan, who has the backing of large numbers

By VALERIE GONZALEZ, ELLIOT SPAGAT and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The U.S.-Mexico border was relatively calm as the U.S. ended its pandemic-era immigration restrictions and migrants adapted to new asylum rules and legal pathways meant to discourage illegal crossings. A full day after the rules known as Title 42 were

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Authorities say one person is dead following a reported tornado in south Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. National Weather Service meteorologist Angelica Soria in Brownsville says the Port Isabel police chief reported one person has been killed. Police said the storm struck the unincorporated community of Laguna Heights about 4 a.m.

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump will share the spotlight in Iowa on Saturday, providing a chance to sway influential conservative activists and contrast their campaign styles in Republicans’ leadoff voting state. DeSantis, expected to announce his 2024

By R.J. RICO Associated Press Housing advocates are raising the alarm about House Republicans’ plan to dramatically cut the federal deficit to raise the debt ceiling. They warn that rental aid would be stripped from hundreds of thousands of struggling families who could face eviction and possible homelessness at a time when rents remain high.